Bird Box Plans (Approved diy PVC Birdhouse Design)

Below are free diy PVC bird box plans that can be used to attract bluebirds, swallows, chickadees, nuthatches, warblers, woodpeckers, wrens, and other birds to your backyard or garden. This birdhouse (nest box) is made using a small piece of wood and PVC pipe. Find more free bird houses plans or discover more birdhouses and bird feeders.

Free Easy DIY PVC Bird Box Plans (Nesting Birdhouse) for backyard or garden. Attract bluebirds, swallows, chickadees, nuthatches, warblers, woodpeckers, and wrens.

Materials Needed to Build this PVC Bird Box

  1. PVC Pipe: Length 10in (25cm) | Diameter 4in (10cm).
  2. PVC Female adapter.
  3. Eye bolts (2): 1/4″ (0.6cm) diameter, approximately 1.5″ (4cm) in length.
  4. Wooden dowel for perch: Length 1.5″ (4cm) | Diameter: 0.5″ (1.3cm).
  5. Wood: 1″ x 4″ x 4″ (2.5cm x 10cm x 10cm).
  6. PVC Cleanout Plug.

OPTIONAL: A PVC Snap-in Drain can be used to help hold the wooden front in place.

Minimum materials needed to build this blue bird nest box.
Minimum materials needed.

This approved nest box has been used by bluebirds over the years. The PVC pipe will not rot or crack. Birds will call your new habitat home for many seasons to come.

DIY Video Tutorial – PVC Bird Box Plans.

For an instructional video tutorial on building this PVC bird box see around 2:30 minutes into the following video.

Step 1. Cut PVC pipe using the bird box plans below.

Cut one end of the PVC pipe at approximately 22 degrees. Then make a second (perpendicular) cut creating a PVC pipe 10″ in length as shown below. PVC pipe can easily be cut with either a hand saw or a miter saw. Drill two holes in the top of the PVC pipe for the eye bolts. Finally, (while mentally hard to do!) drill a couple holes in the bottom of your new PVC pipe to allow for drainage. Furthermore, if being hung in a warm climate, consider drilling additional ventilation holes to keep the birds cool.

PVC Bird Box Plans & Dimensions
PVC Bird Box Plans & Dimensions
Cutting PVC with a hand saw.
Cutting PVC with a hand saw.
Cutting PVC with a miter saw.
Cutting PVC with a miter saw.

Step 2. Create the front of the bird box.

Drill the bird entrance hole into a piece of wood or plywood using a forsnter drill bit.  A 1.5″ (3.8cm) diameter entrance hole is the optimum size for bluebirds and tree swallows. However, chickadees, nuthatches, warblers, woodpeckers, and wrens will also gladly make this their home. See Bird House Hole Size if you want to attract a specific bird. Drill a 0.25″ (0.6cm) inch hole for the bird perch. Finally, cut the wood into a 4″ (10cm) round circle.

Drilling bird entrance hole.
Drilling bird entrance hole.
Dimensions for front of bluebird house.
Dimensions for front of bird box.

Step 3: Glue PVC Female Adapter to back of Bird Box.

Use PVC cement (e.g., Gorilla, Oatey, Weld-On) to bond the female adapter to the back of the bird box. Keep in mind, this glue dries really quickly! Once the two pieces have been fitted together, you have just a few seconds to position the pipe. Consider drilling a hole in PVC cleanout plug to provide additional ventilation to ensure the birds stay cool.

Step 4: Fasten the wooden front board to the Bird Box.

There are numerous ways to fasten the front of your bird box (including nails or screws). Personally, I like to use a PVC Snap-in Drain (located inside the bird box) along with a bolt to fasten the front. Together, this approach results in a very clean design – with no exposed fasteners on the sides. You will find the bolt servers two purposes. First, it holds the front securely in place. Secondly, it provides a built in perch for the birds.

To use a Snap-in Drain (one piece all plastic), you will first need to remove the lip (rim) so the entire drain can be position inside the PVC pipe. An angle grinder with either a metal or wood attachment will quickly remove this lip. Once this lip has been removed, glue (join) the snap-in drain to the front of the birdhouse using PVC Cement. Make sure the Snap-In drain is glued 3/4″ (2cm) below the slope of the PVC pipe (i.e., the thickness of the wood). See the images below and video above for more instructions and directions. Next insert the bolt from the inside of the bird box through the Snap-in Drain and then through wooden front. Fasten a nut to the end of the bolt.
Finally, drill a hole through the Snap-in drain using the same drill bit you used to create the entrance hole.

PVC Snap-In Drain.
PVC Snap-In Drain (before and after removing lip).
Snap-in Drain glued in place.
Snap-in Drain glued in place.

Step 5: Install Bird Perch.

To create the bird perch, I take a short piece of 1/2″ (1.3cm) wooden dowel and drill a 1/4″ (0.6cm) hole part way through the dowel. Next, I glue the dowel onto the bolt using Gorilla Glue.

Step 6: Optionally paint PVC pipe and wood.

If the birdbox will be mounted in the sun, you might want to leave the PVC pipe unpainted or pick a color that will reflect sunlight. However, keep in mind birds are quite happy to nest in painted bird boxes (pink, yellow, blue, etc.) Try not to paint the inside of the box or around the entrance hole as birds may peck at it and eat chips of paint. Note: You should always try to position bird houses in a shady area if possible.

Step 7.  Hang or mount your Blue Bird birdhouse.

Mount your birdhouse and see which bird will call your habitat home. See How to Hang a Birdhouse for tips on location, mounting, and placement. Find tips on Cleaning Birdhouses. Your new birdhouse should provide you excitement for many seasons to come.

Finished blue bird box.
Finished blue bird box.

Related Articles on Bird Houses, Bird Feeders & More

 
 

Use these free DIY bird house plans and bird feeder plans to attract bluebirds, chickadees, flickers, finches, house sparrows, hummingbirds, kestrel, nuthatches, owls, purple martins, swallows, thrushes, warblers, woodpeckers, wrens, and other birds to your garden.